1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a supplying (distribution) medium, and more particularly to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a supplying medium, capable of presenting various kinds of applications, for example, by detecting a collision between an optional or arbitrary space in a three-dimensional space and an object or body.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a method of detecting whether or not an object (including a thing, a person or the like) intrudes into or enters one space (or area) of a three-dimensional space, for example, there has been known an infrared detection system using infrared rays (in this case, the system signifies a logical set of a plurality of units irrespective of whether or not the units constituting the respective components exist in the same body of equipment.).
FIG. 24 shows a configuration example of an infrared detection system.
In FIG. 24, a shadowed rectangular area represents a no-intrusion zone (intrusion prohibited zone), where at four corner portions of the rectangular zone there are placed infrared emitting sections each emitting an infrared ray (in the illustration, indicated at shadowed squares) or infrared receiving sections each receiving an infrared ray (in the illustration, indicated by shadowed circles). Each of the infrared emitting sections emits an infrared ray as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 24, while the infrared receiving section existing at the end of that arrow receives the infrared ray emitted therefrom. Additionally, when the infrared receiving section cannot receive the infrared ray from the corresponding infrared emitting section, for example, an alarm is issued on the assumption that an intruder intercepts the infrared ray to invade into a no-intrusion zone.
Incidentally, among the infrared detection systems, there is a system in which infrared reflecting section are used in place of the infrared receiving sections and the infrared ray reflected by one of the infrared reflecting sections is received by the corresponding infrared emitting section.
Although, for organizing the infrared detection system shown in FIG. 24, there is a need to present a place installing infrared emitting sections and infrared receiving sections (or infrared reflecting sections), that location depends upon the configuration of the no-entry zone and others. For this reason, a place to which many people gain access sometimes has difficulty in the installation of the infrared emitting sections and the infrared receiving sections.
In addition, since the infrared ray advances straight from the infrared emitting section to the infrared receiving section, in the case in which it is desirable that the no-entry zone has a curve (or a curved plane) at its boundary, there is a need to install a number of sets comprising the infrared emitting sections and the infrared receiving sections along that curve, and if the configuration is further complicated, difficulty can be encountered in meeting the requirements.
Meanwhile, for example, there has been known a method in which an image taken through a video camera is processed for image recognition to detect the existence of an object within a field of view of the video camera. In this method, of the images outputted in time series from the video camera, the images adjacent to each other on the time axis are compared with each other to detect a moving object, or each of the images outputted in time series from the video camera is compared with a previously taken image to detect a scene differing from the previously taken image.
Accordingly, this method can detect the intrusion of an object into a field of view of a camera, but cannot detect whether or not an object intrudes into a certain space within the field of view of the camera.
Accordingly, the present invention has been developed in consideration of these situations, and it is an object of the invention to detect a collision between an optional space in a three-dimensional space and an object.
For this purpose, in accordance with this invention, there is provided an information processing system for processing three-dimensional information on an object existing in a three-dimensional space, comprising setting means for setting a predetermined virtual space in the three-dimensional space, creating means for creating the three-dimensional information on the object, and judging means for making a decision, on the basis of the three-dimensional information on the object, on whether or not a collision between the object and the virtual space occurs.
Furthermore, in accordance with this invention, there is provided an information processing method of processing three-dimensional information on an object existing in a three-dimensional space, the method comprising a setting step of setting a predetermined virtual space in the three-dimensional space, a creating step of creating three-dimensional information on the object, and a judging step of making a decision, on the basis of the three-dimensional information on the object, as to whether or not a collision between the object and the virtual space occurs.
Still furthermore, in accordance with this invention, there is provided a supply medium for supplying control information which causes an information processing system to process three-dimensional information on an object existing in a three-dimensional space, the medium supplying a setting instruction for setting a predetermining virtual space in the three-dimensional space, a creating instruction for creating three-dimensional information on the object, and a judging instruction for making a decision, on the basis of the three-dimensional information on the object, as to whether or not a collision between the object and the virtual space occurs.